01559759

Component

Transportation as an important component for urban sustainability has been well recognized. Individual and societal well-being are critical indicators of social sustainability. However, little attention, from both a research and policy perspective, has been paid to the impacts of transportation on well-being. With extensive urban expansion resulting from rapid urbanization, commuting has become a physical and mental burden for many residents in the megacities of China because of increasing travel distances and worsening travel experiences. This study aims to contribute to the growing literature on the relationship between transportation and well-being and also to quantitatively test this relationship in the Chinese context using data from a survey conducted in Xi-an, a mega-city of western China. The results from a structural equation modeling analysis suggest that travel characteristics, including travel mode choice and level of service, significantly influence travel satisfaction, and in turn significantly affect overall satisfaction of life. These findings highlight the importance of transportation-related strategies on improving well-being.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADD50 Environmental Justice in Transportation.

01550057

15-5775

English

18p

2015

Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References; Tables

Commuting; Large cities; Level of service; Mode choice; Quality of life; Social factors; Structural equation modeling; Surveys

Well-being

Xi'an (China)

Planning and Forecasting; Society; Transportation (General); I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2015 Paper #15-5775

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Dec 30 2014 1:56PM